The present invention relates generally to a fish strike detector. In particular, the present invention is a fish strike detector having an electrical circuit mounted in a housing pivotally attached to a rod clamping device.
Anglers have long hand-held their fishing rod or pole while fishing and relied on either physical sensation or sight to determine when a fish is biting or striking. A fish biting the bait on a hook disturbs an attached fishing line which in turn is attached to the fishing pole in some manner. When the bite is hard enough or if the fish swims away with the bait, the fishing line becomes taut and tends to bend or flex the upper or tip section of the fishing rod. The angler then hopefully sets the hook and reels in the fish.
Typically, anglers must pay close attention to their fishing rod in order to maximize the number of fish caught within a given period of time. However, an angler using a single pole may at times desire to place the pole in a holder or prop up the rod in some fashion so as to avoid constantly holding the pole, thus having to accept the reduction in the ability to quickly detect a fish strike.
An individual angler may increase the number of fish taken within a given period of time by increasing the number of fishing poles used. However, increasing the number of fishing poles also increases the chance of not detecting a fish strike on a particular pole due to the angler's divided attention among the other fishing poles, especially if the poles are positioned some distance apart. Also, fishing at night, whether with a single pole or multiple poles, produces a special problem in that visual contact with the fishing line or fishing pole is impaired.
To overcome such problems as those described above, fish strike detectors have been developed with both audio and visual indicators to aid in the detection of fish strikes when the pole is not hand-held.
One such indicating device is mounted near a mid-point of the fishing rod. The device is activated by the flexing of the fishing rod which occurs during a strike. The device includes a mercury switch fixed at a predetermined angle on a circuit board and is coupled to an audio and/or visual indicator(s). As the fishing pole flexes, tilting the switch, gravity causes the mercury bubble or bridging element within the switch bulb or frame to seek a new position therein. If the mercury bridging element travels far enough, the mercury bridging element completes an electrical circuit by coming into contact with at least two electrical contacts positioned within the switch bulb, thus activating the coupled indicator. However, such an arrangement requires that the fishing pole be held in a special rod mount at a predetermined angle after casting so that the proper resting position of the mercury switch is maintained.
In another such device, a small battery operated light is attached through a mercury switch to a pin light battery and mounted in a cylindrical casing which is attached to a bracket by using a bolt and wing nut. The bracket is then attached near the tip of the fishing pole by tightening a bolt-nut arrangement passing through both the bracket and a clamp. The function of such a device is highly dependent upon being able to keep the two bolt-nut arrangements securely tightened. Adjusting this device is somewhat cumbersome because once the thumb nut is loosened, the casing is free to rotate to the full extent of its travel. Furthermore, such a design will likely require readjustment after every cast due to the torque applied at the pivot points during each cast.